Sep 29, 2012

Convergence of Real and Reel

Again, with nothing better to do, I decided to write about the best real life adaptations.

15. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
An inspiring movie on the life of John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics, with a good cast including Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. Even though it does proper justice to his genius mind, it hides the dark secrets of his life.

14. Big Miracle (2012)
A pretty recent movie on the efforts of a journalist and his ex-girlfriend in saving the lives of three gray whales trapped in the ice in the Arctic, and the attention it gets from all over the world.

13. The Vow (2012)
The story of a married couple, Paige and Leo, where during an accident, Paige loses her memory and remembers absolutely nothing after a point of time during her graduating years, and how Leo has to win her heart and more importantly, her trust, yet again.

12. The Social Network (2010)
The story of Harvard dropout Zuck- from the 'hot or not' from his dorm room, to the being the youngest billionaire! Although it was a big hit owing to the success of Facebook, it was not about what the other movies in this list are.

Set in Southern California, a father, who has been financially hit, decides to invest heavily in an idea, and moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.

10. Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
Featuring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, this is the story of congressman Charlie Wilson, and his political journey against the Soviet Union and his dealings in Afghanistan during the cold war.

9. Machine Gun Preacher (2011)
The story of Sam Childers- popularly known as the Machine Gun Preacher- the incident that forces him to change from a drug dealer to a religious man, and his experience in Sudan and Ugnada of saving the children from becoming soldiers by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

8. The Hurt Locker (2008)
The movie which prevented Avatar from winning the Oscar, it follows an elite Army Bomb Squad in during the Iraq war, and the hardships they have to face.

7. The Bank Job (2008)
The Bank Job is about a crew which targets a room with safe deposit boxes, and after successfully infiltrating the bank, how they must save themselves from the devil they released by opening the Pandora's Box!

6. The Blind Side (2009)
The life of American Football Player Michael Oher, who was taken up by a caring lady and her family. This movie focuses the impact she had in his life.

5. Erin Brockovich (2000)
Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts fights for the cause of the families affected by a California based power company, who were accused of polluting the water supply.

4. 21 (2008)
You join a group of six MIT students in their quest to beat the casino in Las Vegas by counting cards. Remember, Blackjack can be beaten!

3. Valkyrie (2008)
This is based on the last of the 42 unsuccessful attempts on Hitler's life, featuring Tom Cruise at his best.

2. Invictus (2009)
The last movie I watched before coming to college, this has a special place in my heart. Nelson Mandela, fondly known by his Xhosa clan name Madiba, takes the responsibility to unite the national rugby team in his apartheid torn land to take part and win the 1995 World Cup.

1. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
For me, this would remain one of the best con-man movies I have ever seen. It is about Frank Abagnale Jr. (DiCaprio), who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned
millions of dollars' worth of checks as a Pan American pilot, doctor, and
legal prosecutor in over twenty countries. It also tells the story of how Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) successfully chases him down, and manages to make him shift sides for working as a consultant to the FBI.

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